Egypt on Catatonia crisis: Spanish Constitution should be respected

CAIRO- 22 October 2017: Catalonia’s crisis is an internal Spanish affair, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, stressing the importance of the adherence to the principles of the Constitution and respect for Spanish law.

Egypt’s statement came in response to queries from a number of diplomatic correspondents about Egypt's stance regarding the developments of the Catalonia crisis.

“It (Egypt) closely follows the developments of the crisis and the repercussions of the referendum held on October 1,” the statement added, stressing the Egyptian aspiration is that Spain could overcome this crisis as soon as possible in order to maintain its stability and protect the aspirations of the Spanish people.

The dispute between Spain and Catalonia escalated after the latter held a referendum to split from Spain.

The Spanish government has stripped Catalonia of its autonomous rule, the measure described as “illegal” by the latter. On Sunday a pro-independence protest led by Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont, was staged in Barcelona.